Tuesday, April 24, 2012

Lavender Bath Salts


I used to be totally grossed out by the idea of taking baths, mostly because I was living in rental apartments that had seen approximately 800 renters in the last 30 years.  No matter how much I scrubbed, the idea of strangers' feet in my bathtub was enough to gross me out every time I took a shower.  Forget about a bath.

In our new home, however, the master bathroom came with a huge soaking tub and I know every person on the very, very limited list of people who have ever used it before.  In short, it was go-time for baths.  On Sunday nights, I find myself exhausted from the weekend and overwhelmed at the thought of Monday morning (my friend Holly calls these the "Sunday Scaries") and I've found that a bath-salt soak spent reading that week's New Yorker is enough to relax me enough to sleep afterwards.  I've been experimenting with various scents & salts and here's my favorite DIY lavender bath salt recipe.

You'll need...


1 teaspoon lavender essential oil
2 cups epsom salts
1 tablespoon lavender buds

(you can also add some baking soda to the mix or use sea salts instead of [or in addition to] the epsom salts)

Mix the salts with the lavender buds & oil, spreading the lavender evenly throughout the salts.  Since you don't want your salts clumping once you've packaged them, spread the salt mixture out onto a flat surface (I used a baking pan) and allow to dry for a few hours, mixing periodically...


Once the oil has been absorbed by the salts, give it one more mix and put your salts into a container of your choice.  I have a bunch of glass tubs from Ikea that I use, but you could also use glass jars or plastic containers.  Come to think of it, plastic makes more sense around a bathtub, safety-wise, so try to go that route.


This is great timing for this recipe because it makes a perfect DIY Mother's Day present.  Wrap them up with a pretty ribbon and they make a great, homemade gift...


Stay relaxed and stay homey!

13 comments:

  1. Aren't baths the best. I so badly want to update our tub upstairs.....I have yet to take one in the new house!! sad face. My mom however has a huge tub......she would so love if I made her these bath salts!! We love going to Lush together (have you been??).

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  2. I LOVE Lush products but I have to say that in the three stores I've been to (NYC and Boston), the sales people are soooooo pushy. I've taken to ordering my stuff online (and they send little soap samples!). Are they pushy where you are, or is it just a Northeast thing?

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    1. Ya I agree. I take my husband along and use him as a distraction (for some reason theylove it when men come in the store..lol.)....he hates me for it. Otherwise I leave there overwhelmed and with way too much!! Good idea to order online.

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    2. Good call... I'll bring Jesse next time and throw him to the wolves. I went in with my pregnant friend once and they flocked to her too while I bought my solid shampoo in peace...

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  3. I love this idea, I have pinned it so that I remember to make it for my house. Need to head out to IKEA and buy some nice jars.

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  4. what a great mother's day gift and DIY it one of the best ways to show someone you care. i have some lavender at home that I have no idea what to do with I just found how I will use the lavender.

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  5. Thanks, ladies! Ikea has a whole host of (cheap) options that would hold these nicely. I think they'd also be pretty in a ball jar with some ribbon.

    Good luck not falling asleep while working with lavender buds & lavender oil, Meg!

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  6. Lovely!!! I have made various bath salts, but always go back to lavender! My "Homemade By You" post is here: http://likemamalikedaughter.blogspot.com/2012/04/crafting-on-with-needle-and-thread.html Come visit!

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  7. Lucky Mom(s) to receive the fragrant salts :)))

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  8. It consists of marvelous and helpful posts. I've read most of them and got a great deal from them.

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  9. This is such an excellent gift idea, I am glad you shared it. I wish I found this sooner though, in time for mother's day.

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  10. A few drops of food coloring makes them pop. I made pink bath salts for all of the ladies in my life before my wedding as thank yous for all of their help.

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  11. Because of the age of our home (almost a hundred-year-old bungalow) and the small size of our bathroom, we wanted to make sure we had the job done right. Taxi Bath to London

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Thank you so much for taking the time to comment!